Charlotte Hornets

Player News - Hornets

Julyan Stone has been granted his release from Italian club Reyer Venezia.

This means he's free to sign with the Hornets later this week. The deal is expected to be for two years at the veteran's minimum. Stone will be the third-string PG in Charlotte behind Kemba Walker and Michael Carter-Williams and probably won't be in the rotation on opening night, especially if Malik Monk proves he can play some PG.

Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer confirmed that the Hornets intend to sign Julyan Stone.

Stone is still negotiating a release from his team in Italy, as his current deal doesn't have an NBA opt-out clause. The Hornets were in need of a third PG after waiving Briante Weber, but we're not expecting Stone to play much with Kemba Walker and Michael Carter-Williams ahead of him. Malik Monk may play some point as well.

Julyan Stone is reportedly expected to part ways with Italian club Reyer Venezia and sign a two-year contract with the Hornets.

Stone had signed a two-year deal with Reyer Venezia earlier this summer, which did not have an opt-out clause. However, Stone's father became seriously ill and, with the Hornets willing to sign him to a contract, Stone made an adamant push to stay in the States to be closer to his father. It now appears he has come to an agreement with Reyer Venezia. We should have a formal update shortly. Stone will likely only see limited minutes in Charlotte and is not on the fantasy radar.

Julyan Stone is attempting to secure a release from his contract with Reyer Venezia in Italy to sign a two-year deal with the Hornets.

Stone signed a new two-year contract with Reyer Venezia earlier this summer that does not include an opt-out allowing him to leave for the NBA. However, Stone's father is now battling serious health issues and is currently in a coronary care unit with severe lung, heart and kidney ailments. Stone wants to remain in America, as he believes it is in the best interest of his father. Stone says that signing with Charlotte "will allow my father to have the proper insurance that will give him the best chance to continue to fight for his life."

Kemba Walker played 12 minutes in the 2017 Africa Game on Saturday, scoring 10 points with one assist and two 3-pointers.

It was a mild surprise to see Walker out there for an exhibition after his knee surgery back in May. Walker has been fairly durable in the last two seasons with a combined 160 outings, and he's coming off career-highs 23.2 points, a 44.4 field goal percentage and 3.0 treys. He's a fine pick in the early rounds of fantasy drafts.

According to a report by Sportando.com, the Hornets are willing to offer Stone a two-year deal. However, Stone recently inked a two-year extension with Italian club Reyer Venezia and the extension does not have an opt-out clause. Thus, it appears Stone will have to honor his contract with Reyer Venezia.

Kemba Walker (knee) said that he's medically cleared to play in the NBA Africa exhibition game.

He still hasn't decided if he will actually play, but he will likely be limited to a handful of minutes if he does. Regardless, this is great news for the Hornets and confirms that he will be 100 percent for camp after undergoing a minor arthroscopic procedure on his left knee back in May. That was his third left knee surgery in three years, so he carries a little bit more risk as an early-round pick this year.

The Hornets kept Johnny O’Bryant on their roster beyond his Aug. 1 guarantee deadline, making his $1.5 million salary fully guaranteed.

O'Bryant will have a tough time cracking the rotation in Charlotte. The Hornets frontcourt is crowded, with Marvin Williams, Frank Kaminsky, Dwight Howard and Cody Zeller all ahead of O'Bryant on the depth chart.

The undrafted center out of Louisville put in averages of 4.4 points and 5.0 rebounds per game through five Summer League games with the Hornets. He'll be another big body at camp, but Mathiang will spend most of next season in the G-League.

Malik Monk said he believes the Hornets want him to play some PG at the NBA level.

"I think they want me to do both," Monk said. "I think I can do it pretty good." Monk added that he will thrive next to Kemba Walker because he thinks the All-Star PG plays similar to his Kentucky teammate De'Aaron Fox. The Hornets don't have great depth behind Kemba with only Michael Carter-Williams on the roster, but we'd like Monk a lot more if the Hornets move Nicolas Batum back up to SF to open up more backcourt minutes. Unless that happens, Monk may have a tough time making an immediate fantasy impact.

Malik Monk (ankle) said he is targeting Tuesday to start his on-court work.

He sprained his ankle in pre-draft workouts and that injury kept him out of summer league. Coach Steve Clifford has said Monk's primary role will be as a scorer, and there's also a chance he gets minutes at the one. Monk has a good chance to be in the rotation, but he's not worth drafting in most leagues.

Kemba Walker (knee surgery) will not play in an NBA Africa exhibition game next month.

Walker was initially expected to be a captain on the World Team for the NBA's Basketball without Borders game in Africa, but he's going to be withheld from competing as a "precaution." Walker underwent a minor arthroscopic procedure on his left knee back in May and was initially given a six-week timetable, so while he won't be competing in this exhibition game overseas, he should be fine when training camp rolls around in September.

Michael Carter-Williams said he's ready for a fresh start in Charlotte after a rough season with the Bulls.

MCW missed training camp with the Bulls (knee bruise) and said he never got a grip of the playbook, and he added that "everything in the organization was going in a different direction." He described the Hornets as a "bright light" and believes that he can "be a big help." Signed to a one-year, $2.7 million deal, MCW will try to win the backup PG job behind Kemba Walker, but he has his work cut out for him because Malik Monk is also hoping to log some minutes at the one. Fantasy owners will want to avoid MCW for now.

Dwayne Bacon and the Hornets agreed to a three-year deal with two years guaranteed.

He was on fire on Thursday with 29 points, which may have been enough to help him get this deal. It probably helped him that Malik Monk didn't play, which allowed Bacon to have more opportunities. The second-round pick will almost certainly be up and down in the G League.